Time to move beyond lithium batteries

New York: Replacing lithium ions with magnesium ions in a battery can make it perform almost twice as better, finds a study.Each of the lithium ions carries a single positive charge while a magnesium ion has a plus-two charge, the researchers explained.

"Because magnesium is an ion that carries two positive charges, every time we introduce a magnesium ion in the structure of the battery material, we can move twice as many electrons," explained lead researcher Jordi Cabana from the University of Illinois in Chicago.We hope that this work will open a credible design path for a new class of high-voltage, high-energy batteries, Cabana added.

Every battery consists of a positive and negative electrode and an electrolyte.The electrodes exchange electrons and ions which are usually of positive charge.Only the ions flow through the electrolyte, which is an electric insulator so as to force the electrons to flow through the external circuit to power the vehicle or device.